SlugTerra: New Beginnings
by dicarten-ice
Summary: When Jacob DiCarten was just a baby, he fell from the Surface to the world of SlugTerra. More specifically, into the cavern of Elina Shae when she is only 12 years old. Will she be able to raise this child, especially when she's still a child? What happens as they grow up together? Read more to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-How I Got To SlugTerra

Don't forget to leave a review! SlugTerra does not belong to me. Elina Shae and her OC slugs belong to JackieWinters. Thanks for lending me Elina, Jackie!

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I don't really remember much of anything about how I got to SlugTerra, but I'll tell you whatever I can remember. Oh, by the way, my name's Jacob DiCarten, but you can just call me Jake.

Anyways, I went down to SlugTerra when I was only a year old. I was crawling around, not yet able to walk, and a large earthquake shook the ground. My parents ran inside the house, thinking I was in there as well, but instead fell down a crevice that opened up beneath me. I cried out for my parents, but my screams were lost among the shaking. I fell for what fell like forever, and as I went I felt like I ran out of tears and just quieted, watching the rock fly by around me as I continually went down, down, down.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I saw a light beneath me. I looked at it as is rapidly approached. When I finally passed through it, I was in a cavern made up of a large jungle. I started to cry again as I approached the ground quickly, and saw a few slug-like creatures beneath me. I was about to scream when a gust of wind slowed my fall until I landed in a patch of grass next to twelve-year-old Elina Shae.

**Elina's POV…**

I was walking around the cavern that day, making sure the slugs were alright when I saw a small figure fall from a crack in the cavern ceiling. I saw that it was in fact a baby, and started to worry. How did a baby get down here? That question would have to wait until later. Until then, I focused on my powers and created a gust of wind, slowing and redirecting the figure until it landed softly at my feet.

"A baby?" I whispered, surprised that my suspicions were confirmed. He was wearing a plain blue shirt and blue shorts and had tears in his eyes.

"It's okay, I've got you," I whispered, picking him up as he started to cry.

"Where did he come from?" I asked the slugs around us.

"He fell from that crack in the ceiling," Helia, my Boon Doc, told me, pointing to the small crack.

"Well, I need to make sure that closes before anyone else slips through," I stated. I turned my head toward the baby. "Hang on, I'll be right back," I told him, setting him down beside a bunch off my slugs. "Keep an eye on them."

The slugs nodded and I smiled before walking to a spot directly beneath the crack. I focused on my powers, making sure not to lose control, and looked up at the crack. I focused as hard as I could and slowly, with some shaking, the crack closed itself. Feeling the strain of using my powers, I slowly walked back to where I left the child with the slugs. I was surprised by discovering that the child was getting along with the slugs, chasing them around. When one got far enough away he stood up shakily and walked towards it. I didn't know at the time, but those were his first steps.

"Well well, are you getting along with my friends?" I asked the baby, crouching down to his level. He grinned, revealing a few teeth. He walked over to me and collapsed at me feet, waving his hands at me. I couldn't help but smile back at the little guy. "Do you know what your name is, little guy?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Jacob DiCawten," he said.

"Jacob DiCarten?" I asked him, switching out the 'w' with an 'r'. He nodded so I picked him up and carried him to my home, a cave not far away from there. I set him on the bed and crouched down next to him. "Do you know where your parents are, Jacob?" I asked him. He nodded and pointed up past the ceiling before tears welled up in his eyes. He reached for me and I picked him up as he started crying again. I let him cry as long as he needed. He just left all his family behind and arrived in a completely new land.

After about five minutes the crying ceased so I looked down and saw that Jacob had fallen asleep.

"What am I gonna do?" I said to nobody in particular as I set him down on the bed. "I can't raise a child, I'm only 12 for crying out loud."

"If you don't, who will?" Blaze, my Infurnus slug/best friend, asked me. "The slugs at this cavern helped raise you, we can help you raise Jake. He needs someone to look after him, and it should be you."

I sighed and sat down next to Jake. "You know, sometimes I hate it when you're right," I told her.

"Oh, you like him, just admit it," Blaze told me, hopping up next to us. I laughed quietly and nodded.

As we sat there a small albino Infernus hopped into the cave.

"There you are, Alpha," I said, looking at the baby slug. She was only a month old or so. She was the smallest in a family of Infurnuses, so I took her in. "Where were you?"

"I heard that a small child dropped from the Surface, and I wanted to meet him," she explained. "By the time I got to the site, though, you were gone so I came back."

I nodded and scooped her up in my hands, bringing her over to Jake and setting her down. Alpha hopped up next to Jake and nudged his hand.

"Don't wake him up!" I warned her in a quiet tone. Jacob didn't even stir, though, and opened his hand so that Alpha could hop onto it and use it to jump onto his chest, curling up into a ball.

"Looks like Jacob already has a new friend," Blaze commented. I smiled and sat against the sidewall of the cave, watching Jacob sleep.

"Jacob, I have a feeling you're not just an ordinary kid," I said as I watched him. I just got a strange sensation of cold as I watched him sleep, Alpha curled up on his chest and sleeping just as deeply as he was. I shook it off, though, and laid a blanket over his legs to keep him warm before going out in the cavern to gather some food and medicine in case anything happens.

**A Note from Jake…**

Well, that's how I got to SlugTerra. The next chapter jumps ahead four years.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2—Four Years Later…

Thanks for the reviews! Don't forget to leave one at the bottom!

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**In Jake's POV…**

"Elina! Where are you?" I yelled as I walked around the cavern. I was about ready to give up when I saw Blaze peek down from a tree branch. "I've got you now," I said. I tried to climb the tree, but my arms and legs were too short.

"Dude, you're five years old," an Arachnet told me as he approached. "The branches are too high for you to reach. Want some help?"

I nodded and he hopped up the tree to a branch, where he launched down some webbing for me to climb up with. I should explain how I understand them. As Elina taught me to speak English, the slugs taught me their language, so I understand both easily. I grabbed onto it and used it to pull myself up to the branches, where I could easily get from branch to branch until I found Elina perched on a branch.

"I've got you!" I screamed, grabbing her wrist.

"Yes, you do," she said, picking me up and setting me on her lap. I laughed and leaned against her. "Happy fifth birthday," she told me.

"Thanks," I replied. I didn't remember when my actual birthday is, so we just go with the day I arrived at SlugTerra. We always spend the day doing whatever I like, and this year I wanted to play hide and seek.

"Okay, now it's your turn to hide, and I'll seek," she told me, carrying me as we went down to the ground.

"Okay. Count to sixty, and no powers!" I reminded her as she laughed and walked to the cave to begin counting. Once she was out of sight I grinned and took off in a different direction, not stopping until I reached a large tree. I knew that the tree had a cavity beneath it, and I had a few Vinedrill slugs help me out by creating a barrier over it after I climbed in. I had my escape artist with me to get me out if I won.

"I can't believe you are seriously hiding here," Alpha told me, giggling as I sat down beside her. "The barrier is too obvious."

"That's why I've got Illusion," I replied, pointing to the Thugglet slug on my other side. "I'm gonna last longer than last time," I told her. The last time we played this she'd always find me within five minutes. I'm aiming for at least ten minutes today.

"You know Elina's psychic powers will see right past it," Alpha told me.

"Yes, but she won't expect me to use Illusion to hide myself," I explained. "Now, we need to stay quiet so that she won't hear us."

She nodded and we got comfortable as Elina searched the cavern for us.

Ten minutes and fifteen seconds later, though, the illusion disappeared and the vines covering the entrance shrank back into the ground, showing Elina's face.

"Nice hiding spot, much better than the past times," she complimented me. I grinned as she helped pull me out. I grabbed and grabbed Illusion and Alpha as well before we walked back to the cave. Alpha hopped onto my right shoulder as Illusion jumped on my left.

"How'd you find me?" I asked her as I jumped over a large root. It caught the tip of my foot, though, but Elina caught me before I could hit the ground. "Thank you," I added.

"Sure. As for how I found you, I have my sources," she told me.

"So the slugs ratted me out," I corrected her. She laughed but said nothing as we continued walking. When we reached the cave I jumped on the bed as she crouched in front of me.

"So, what do you want us to do next?" she asked me as I grinned. "We can go swimming, climb trees, or tickle each other!" she suggested. At the last suggestion, though, she started tickling me, causing me to wriggle and squirm.

"Ellie! Stop it!" I squealed between laughs. She continued for a few more seconds before I felt something cold unravel within me, shooting out in a snap of ice.

"Jake!" she shouted, jumping back. I looked up and saw that her hands were encased in a thin layer of ice.

"What happened?" I gasped, scrambling backwards.

"I knew that there was something different about you," she said to herself.

"What happened?" I repeated.

"It appears you also have powers," she whispered.

"Like you?" I asked her.

She shook her head but smiled. "No, not quite like mine," she told me. "When I first found you I had a feeling you were different. You've always be several degrees colder than usual, and know I know why. It appears you can control ice."

"Ice? Cool," I stated. She laughed and thawed out her hands.

"You need to make sure to keep this gift under control," she told me. "Only use it in emergencies or when I help you control it."

I nodded so she sat down beside me. "So, what do you want to do next?"

"Let's go swimming," I suggested. "Rip Tide promised me a rematch for last week's race," I added, referring to the gray and blue Aquabeek that lives in the lake nearby.

"You might want to wait until you're older for that," she suggested. "You're only five, and water slugs are dominant in the water."

"Don't worry, I've got a secret weapon," I told her, grinning.

"I have a feeling that secret weapons includes other Aquabeeks," she said.

"What? Would I ever do such a thing?" I said with an innocent tone.

"Yes, you would," she told me.

I just laughed and took off for the lake, Elina following once she grabbed some towels for us to dry off with afterwards. After a minute I got tired and walked the rest of the way to the lake, and when Elina caught up she stayed at the same pace I was at.

"Hey, Rip Tide!" I yelled when we got to the lake. There was a rush as every water element slug popped out of the lake to wave to me before Rip Tide jumped out and hopped up to me. He's mainly gray with a blue belly and blue eyes. He has a scar over his right eye, and I never thought to ask him how he got it.

"So, you ready for another round, kid?" he asked me.

I grinned and took off my shirt and shoes. "Definitely," I replied. I glanced at some of the Aquabeeks nearby and they all nodded, so I jumped in the water after him.

"First one to get to the lake shore from right here wins," Rip Tide told me when we were about a hundred feet from the shore. I nodded a several Aquabeeks gathered behind me, out of his line of sight. Alpha had actually given me the idea to have the Aquabeeks help me win.

Elina counted down from the shore. "Three! Two! One! …GO!"

When she finished speaking we swam as fast as we could. Rip Tide took off like a rocket, and the Aquabeeks helping me increased my fairly slow pace to one that rivals Rip Tide's. We quickly caught up with him, but he continued gaining speed, beating us by a second or two.

"I'll give you props for the idea," he told me when I got out of the water and sat next to him. "Tell Alpha I think it was a good idea."

"Hey! How do you know I didn't think of it?" I asked him.

He chirped in laughter. "You may be older than her, but that little slug is very clever," he chirped to me. I laughed and we jumped back in the water, Elina in hot pursuit.

"Happy Birthday, Jake!" countless slugs told me as we swam by them. I thanked them and took a deep breath before diving under, where countless slugs swam by, waving as they passed. I waved back and broke the surface.

We swam until our fingers were all pruney, and even then Elina almost had to carry me out because I wanted to stay in. We went back to the cave, where I was surprised by a cake waiting for me.

"Happy Birthday!" Blaze and Alpha told me as they lit the candles. I grinned and sat at the table.

"Thanks, you two!" I told them.

"Don't forget me," Elina said, messing up my hair before sitting down.

"Hey!" I said, fixing my hair. She laughed and Alpha and Blaze moved away from the cake as I blew out the candles, thinking of a wish. It was the same as every year and hadn't come true yet, but I was still hopeful.

"Let's eat!" Alpha cheered. I giggled as Elina sliced the cake into human-sized slices for us and small pieces for Alpha and Blaze.

"This cake is good!" I cheered as I ate it. They agreed and we ate the entire cake before I sat back against the back of my chair, not able to eat another bite.

"Now, it's time for presents!" Alpha chirped. I grinned as Elina pulled out a soft package and presented it to me. I tore it open and pulled out a new set of clothes.

"Thank you!" I said, hugging her tightly.

She laughed and hugged me back. "No problem, Shorty," she said, using one of her nicknames for me. I giggled and sat down again as she pulled out another present, hard and box-shaped. I tore off the wrapping paper and opened it and pulled out a small blaster.

"It's a training blaster, meant for children," she told me. "I figured it was time for you to have your first blaster."

I tackled her in a tight hug, almost choking her but I was too happy to care. "Thank you so much Ellie!" I said. She giggled and hugged me back. I checked out the blaster fully. It was just a basic blaster, nothing fancy. It was very small, but I didn't care. I had a blaster!

"No problem," she said. "There's one more thing I have for you," she added, holding out a cylindrical item wrapped up. I squealed in delight and unwrapped it, revealing an empty slug tube. I was confused for a second before Elina looked at Alpha, who was perched on my shoulder. Alpha jumped off and landed in the tube. "She's officially yours," Elina told me. I jumped up and down in happiness before Elina managed to calm me down. "So, you wanna try out that blaster?" she asked me.

I grinned and nodded, running out to a target range she set up for me. She showed me how to hold the blaster and aim it properly before I loaded Alpha through the loading slot.

"Are you ready to be launched for the first time?" I asked her. She nodded and chirped a "yes," so I took aim at the nearest target and pulled the trigger. Alpha was launched out and velocimorphed into an albino version of Blaze when Elina would fire her. Her flames were white as well, but she was a bit smaller than Blaze is. Alpha spun around in the air and blasted flames at the target.

"Whoa, good job, Alpha!" I told her. She giggled and hopped back to me.

"She may be small, but Alpha is a strong slug," Blaze told me. "Keep her safe."

"I will," I told her as Alpha blushed slightly at the compliment. We went back to the cave, where Elina told me more about the blaster.

"That blaster isn't made to handle powerful slugs," Elina told me. "That means you can't launch Alpha repetitively. It's made to teach children how to sling slugs."

I nodded and we played the rest of the day until we were too tired to play anymore and it was getting late. We ventured back to the cave and got ready for bed. I climbed in my small bed and Elina climbed into hers.

Over the next two years I learned more and more about slinging and how to use my powers until I had almost complete mastery over it by the time I was seven years old, when we had an encounter with Dr. Blakk.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3—My First Encounter with Doctor Blakk

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual.

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Disclaimer: I do not own SlugTerra. Elina and her OC slugs belong to JackieWinters. Thanks again, Jackie!

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It was about a month after my seventh birthday, and we were training with our powers when several slugs hopped up to us. One of them was limping.

"What happened?" Elina and I asked, rushing over to them.

"Doctor Blakk is coming…" the injured one said before collapsing. I looked up at Elina in confusion.

"Doctor Blakk?" I asked her. "Who's that?"

She frowned and we picked up the slugs before she led me to our cave. "Doctor Blakk is a very bad man that hurts slugs," she told me in a very tense calm. "He twists slugs' powers to his own uses. He has wanted to harness my powers for a long time. I've managed to evade his grasp for a long time, and he's been searching for me for seven years. Whatever you do, do not leave this cave. I'll make sure our cave is hidden and that all of our friends are safe," she told me before launching a Vinedrill at the base of the cave, blocking me in as she fired a few Thugglets to hide it before going away.

"Elina!" I screamed. She turned around, though, and ran away to check on the rest of the slugs.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Alpha assured me. I nodded but I couldn't get rid of the frown on my face. I searched the cave and cheered when I found an extra blaster, much stronger than my training blaster.

"She told you to stay here," Illusion told me as he helped to maintain the illusion. "You shouldn't go against her wishes."

"I know, I'm just making sure I'll be safe if someone gets past it," I explained, sitting down. "Can you show me what's going on?" I asked Illusion.

"I'll try," he told me. I launched him at the wall and created a space I could see through.

"Thanks," I replied. He nodded and I watched as Elina created illusions to get Blakk and his men to run away. After a few minutes, though, I saw Doctor Blakk for the first time as he ran after her.

He was taller than Elina, had broad shoulders and black hair, and his skin was extremely pale. My eyes widened in fear when I saw him. He loaded a slug that looks like a Grenuke slug, but it was strangely twisted. Elina's face filled with fear as she stumbled and fell to the ground. The slug seemed to be affecting her powers.

"Elina!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as Blakk fired the slug. They both looked in my direction as my hands in the floor and ice spread out from my location, creating a shield around Elina.

"What's this?" Blakk muttered. He fired a twisted Thresher at me, and it tore through the vines, revealing me, hands encased in ice.

"Jake, run!" Elina screamed at me. I lifted my hands and grabbed the blaster, loading Alpha.

"Who is this?" Blakk growled. "A brother?"

"Leave her alone," I growled. I probably wasn't very entertaining as a seven-year-old, but I didn't care.

"Jacob, leave!" Elina shouted at me.

"No, I'll protect you," I told her. Blakk chuckled and loaded a messed-up Frostcrawler. He launched the slug at me as I launched Alpha at it. Two years of training with her really increased her strength, so she overpowered the slug and surrounded him in flames.

"You remind me a lot of a certain Shane that has given me trouble," Blakk snapped at me. He launched a messed-up Aquabeek that put out the flames before pulling out a vial of dark red water.

"Jacob! Run!" Elina screamed as he threw the vial at her. I took a few steps back as the vial broke and spilled the water on her skin. She screamed in fright as her navy hair turned black as night with red streaks. Her skin darkened several shades and her bright blue eyes turned into red cat's eyes with black slits. There was a flash of black light and when it faded her clothes changed into black and leather.

"Elina?" I whispered.

"Elina is no longer here," she growled in a deeper voice. "I am Dementia."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4—Dementia

Thanks for the reviews! Don't forget to leave one at the bottom!

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"Jake! Run!" Blaze chirped as she hopped up to me. I picked her up and Alpha as well before taking off as fast as I could.

"Dementia, get rid of the boy," I heard Blakk growl behind me. A second passed before Elina/Dementia caught up to me, knocking me to the side with a blast of air.

"Ellie!" I screamed when I hit a boulder. I staggered for a few seconds as I regained my balance, and in that time she ran up to my and lifted me by my neck, pinning me to the boulder and choking me at the same time. I grabbed her arm and tried to relax her grip on my throat, but I couldn't do anything so I tried freezing her arm. Her arm became encased in ice for a split second before it melted.

"Goodbye, child," Dementia growled, tightening her grip. Black spots danced before my eyes as Blaze hopped onto her arms.

"Don't let her control you, Elina," Blaze chirped, looking Dementia in the eye.

"Ellie…" I gasped with my remaining air. Her eyes flickered back to normal as she loosened her grip. I gasped and took in fresh air, using the moment to freeze her arms. "Elina, come back to us," Blaze, Alpha and I told her. "Don't let Dementia control you."

Her eyes flickered back to normal for a few more seconds. "Jake…run," she whispered. She released me, but Dementia took over and reached for me. Instead of running, though, I hugged her as tightly as I could.

"Don't let her win, Ellie," I whispered.

"What are you…" Dementia started, but she gasped. A bright light enveloped us, and when it faded Dementia was gone, replaced by the Elina we all know.

"Elina?" I gasped. She smiled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"What? How could this happen…?" Blakk demanded as he ran at us, a twisted Armashelt in his blaster.

"You will leave this cavern, Doctor Blakk," Elina stated, loading her blaster with Helia, her Boon Doc. She fired her as Blakk fired the slug. They hit each other in a flash of light, and both slugs fell back to the ground in protoform, but the other slug was different.

Helia healed it.

"Yay! I'm healed!" the Armashelt cheered as he hopped over to us. Blakk growled and fired a messed-up Phosphoro that let out a dark flash, stunning us long enough for him to escape.

"What did he do to you?" I asked her as we walked back to the cave.

"Doctor Blakk…that vial of water he hit me with is known as Dark Water," she told me. "It…it twists my powers and brings out a darker side of me that I can't control. He also uses that water to turn slugs into ghoul slugs, which are stronger than normal slugs, but are evil. Promise me that if he ever does that to me again, you will run away and find help." I didn't reply, and she crouched down to my level. "Jacob, I need you to promise me that," she told me. "I don't want you getting hurt, especially by me."

"You wouldn't hurt me," I told her. "That would be Dementia. It wouldn't be your fault, it would be Blakk's for doing it to you."

She smiled. "When did you get so wise?" she asked me with a small laugh.

I shrugged. "Spending time with Rip Tide, I guess," I replied. He's one of the oldest slugs in the cavern. She smiled and hugged me. I hugged her back and we walked to the cave, where we got rid of the last of the vines and sat down.

Over the next year, we practiced with out powers even more and Elina decided to let me keep the blaster I found. For my eighth birthday, we even left the cavern and went to Convertamail Cavern, where we first encountered the Shane Gang.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5—First Encounter With The Shane Gang

Thanks for the reviews! Don't forget to leave one at the bottom! I do not own SlugTerra, only my own OC. Elina and her slugs belong to JackieWinters

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On the morning of my eighth birthday, Elina and I got ready to go. She had left the cavern before to pick up supplies, but I had never left before. She gave me a small bandolier to wear, my first, and I placed a few slugs that wanted to go with us in the tubes. Alpha was on my shoulder, and in the tubes were Rip Tide, Illusion, and Elina's Rammstone, Rocker.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Elina asked me as we walked to her Mecha, Luna. She had been trying to dissuade me from this, but I wanted to go outside the cavern.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I told her. She nodded and hopped on Luna's back, holding out her and to pull me up as well. I grabbed her hand and she pulled me up in front of her so that she could keep an eye on me. She started the Mecha and we started on our way, slugs waving as we went by.

"Make sure to pay attention to where we go," she told me as we entered a new cavern. I nodded and she hit the throttle, increasing our speed. We continued through the cavern and a few more within an hour and ended at Convertamail Cavern, where a large mall was located. She parked the Mecha outside and we walked inside.

"Whoa," I gasped as I looked around. Countless people were walking around. I hadn't been near so many people as long as I could remember. She smiled at my reaction and led me around the mall. We walked through a few stores, buying supplies and new clothes. We spent several hours there, getting lunch in one of the restaurants before getting ready to leave, strapping bags to the back of Luna.

"Let's go," Elina told me a few minutes later. We were right about to climb onto Luna when we heard explosions nearby.

"Let's check it out!" I yelled, running toward it.

"Jake!" she shouted, chasing after me. I ended up making it to the scene of the explosion, where a guy with hair like Elina's and three other people were fighting some thugs. One of the people with the first guy, probably their leader, was a cave troll with a large blaster. Another of them was a girl with bright orange hair and a green shirt and short. The last one was a short Molenoid with a rifle-like blaster.

"Who are they?" I asked Elina, pointing to them. The leader had an Infurnus on his shoulder, similar to Blaze but it was a guy.

"It's them…" she said to no one in particular. "They're the Shane Gang," she told me. She looked at the leader, who I knew must have been Eli Shane from the stories she told me of them, and he looked at her for a second before launching the Infurnus.

The fight resumed for several more minutes, and when it finished I stared in awe until Elina almost had to drag me away. Eli noticed us, though, and followed.

"Hello," Eli said when we reached Luna. Elina spun around and saw him, blushing almost immediately. He smiled.

"Hi, I'm Jake," I replied, holding out my hand to him.

"I'm Eli," he replied crouching down and shaking my hand. "This is Burpy," he added, holding out the Infurnus.

"This is Alpha," I replied, holding out Alpha.

"Another Infurnus?" he gasped in surprise.

"Yep, Elina gave her to me," I replied. "She has an Infurnus too, names Blaze."

His eyebrows rose.

"Jake, let's get out of here," Elina told me.

"Wait, do you wanna hang out some time?" Eli asked her as we started to climb on Luna.

She was about to tell him 'no', so instead I said, "Sure, we live four caverns n—"

"Maybe another time," Elina said, clamping her hand over my mouth. I glared at her but she shook her head at me.

Eli chuckled. "Well, I hope that time is soon," he commented. Elina blushed as we climbed onto Luna's back and set off for home.

"Why'd you stop me from telling him where we live?" I asked Elina.

"We don't know him well enough to tell him stuff like that," she told me as we left the cavern.

"He sounds like a good guy to me," I replied. "Besides, he's a Shane. You told me that the Shanes are the protectors of SlugTerra."

"Yes, but you still don't know this Shane," she told me.

"You _like_ him, don't you?" I commented, noticing the way she acted.

"Wh-What?" she sputtered. I looked behind me and saw that she blushed deep red. I giggled and she rolled her eyes. An hour later we arrived at the cave. We walked in, but she must have noticed something off because she waved a hand at me, launching me under the bed.

"Blakk's coming," she whispered. "He'll be here any second." She handed me her slugs and walked to the entrance.

"What? Let me help!" I demanded.

"No!" she snapped. A Flaringo hopped up to her and told her something. "He's bringing too many men," she told me. "Stay hidden, don't let them catch you."

I wanted to argue, but the look of fear in her eyes stopped me, so I scrambled back to the wall of the cave, hiding myself in a shell of ice along with all of the slugs.

"What do you think will happen?" I asked Blaze as the slugs gathered together to keep warm. I forgot that I am the only one that the cold does not affect.

"She'll most likely lead them away from here then disguise the cave," Blaze said. "Chances are, though, that they'll kidnap her."

"What?" I demanded. They stopped me before I could break out and help her.

"Don't go!" Alpha told me. "If you go and try to help her, you'll just get captured as well."

It took them over a minute to convince me, and in that time I heard Elina disguise the cave and hide it.

Elina's POV…

When I was sure Jake was well hidden I created a wall of trees in front of the cave, disguising it well before Blakk and his men arrived.

"I'm back, Shae," he growled. His apprentice, a guy my age with blonde hair and light colored clothes, stood by his side.

"And how do you think you'll get me to go?" I demanded. "Send Blondie here after me?" I added, glancing in the other guy's direction. He scowled at me and Blakk raised his hand. His assistant loaded a ghouled Grenuke, a Greneater, and pointed it not at me, but where the disguised cave was.

"Simple," Blakk said. "Either you come with us quietly, or we kill the boy you care for so much."

"If you so much as lay a _finger_ on him, you will regret the day you were born," I growled. I startled myself with my threat, but I didn't care. I raised Jacob, and we were the only family each other had, other than the slugs.

"That all depends on whether you come with us or not," Blakk told me. He nodded and the boy launched the slug at the cave.

"NO!" I screamed, swatting it away with a water whip. They began opening fire on the cave and me. I tried to deflect them all, but I was hit by a Grimmstone near the end.

"Now, I will repeat this," Blakk told me. "Either you come with us, or we kill the boy."

I sighed and sat upright from my position when the Grimmstone hit me. "As long as you promise to not let anyone hurt him, I'll go with you," I said sadly, lowering my head. Blakk smiled and tied my hands behind my back, lifting me onto a Titan Tank. When they had me secured we left for Blakk Citadel.

"Jacob, I hope you're safe," I whispered before someone unseen to me knocked me out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6—Gone

**Jacob's POV…**

After about five minutes in the shell of ice there was silence, so Blaze, Alpha, and any Flaringos and Forgesmelters around us went to work melting the ice so that we could get out. When it was completely melted we climbed out and I searched for Elina.

"Elina?" I shouted after a minute. "Where are you?"

"Jacob," Blaze told me sadly as she and a couple of Elina's other slugs pulled out an envelope and nudged it to me. "I suggest you sit down to read this," she added. My eyes widened and my hand shook as I took the envelope and walked to the table, sitting down. I tried to open the sealed envelope, but I couldn't concentrate with my hands shaking, so Splice, Elina's Thresher, opened it for me.

"Thanks, Splice," I told the slugs. He nodded and nudged the paper inside toward me. I nodded and picked up the letter, unfolding it and reading it.

_Dear Jacob,_

_If you are reading this letter, then I have been captured by Doctor Blakk and am most likely being held in his fortress. I wrote this letter to tell you that the years I have spent with you were the best. You have been the closest thing I have to family in several years._

_Also, I wrote this letter to ask for your help. When you finish reading this letter, take as many slugs as you can and seek out the Shane Gang. Tell them who you are and who I am, and ask them to help you free me. If Eli is still like his father told me he was, he will help you to the best of his abilities. If they agree to help you, though, DO NOT FIGHT. I do not want you getting hurt, and the slugs are there to protect you, not help you fight. The Shane Gang knows what they are doing, trust them._

_Again, I am sorry this had to happen to you, Jake._

_Love,_

_Elina._

When I finished reading the letter I set it down and closed my eyes, focusing on calming down. If I lose it, things tend to get very cold.

"Jacob, you need to get ready to go," Blaze told me sadly. I nodded slowly and stood up, walking to a cabinet where Elina keeps her slinging supplies. I put on another bandolier so that the two formed an 'X' across my chest. I pulled on a backpack with a miniature slug home in it to fit more slugs before grabbing all the money in case I would need supplies.

"Are you sure about this?" Blaze asked me as I grabbed the blaster I found and Elina's from where she left it just inside the cave. I attached them both to my belt and loaded my bag and bandoliers with slugs. Blaze stayed on one shoulder and Alpha on my other. I pulled on a beanie.

"I'm sure," I replied. "I need to help Elina." She nodded and I finished packing before going to Luna.

"Um, how do I drive it?" I added, looking at the tigress Mecha. The slugs looked at me and shrugged. My arms and legs were too short for the controls, so I'd have to improvise by walking.

"This is gonna be fun," I muttered sarcastically. I managed to get out of the cave by fitting between the vines and climbing out.

"Let's get going," Alpha told me. "We don't know where Eli lives, but we'll have to figure it out.'

"Well, it's gonna take a while to find him on foot," I commented. They nodded but I had to do it, so I started walking toward the cavern entrance.

Three hours later I arrived at Convertamail Cavern, where I looked around for them. The Shane Gang wasn't there, though, so I went in a random direction from there, arriving at another town in an hour.

"At this pace, we'll never find the Shane Gang," I groaned as we walked into a restaurant to get dinner. I bought the slugs a bowl of slug food and ate a burger.

"What should we do to find the Shane Gang?" I asked the slugs. "Their hideout is top-secret, it would take forever to find it."

"We could just start going to competitions," Blaze suggested. "Elina and I once went to a competition and Eli was there. Apparently, he likes competitions."

"Sounds like a good place to start," I commented. When a waitress came up to us to collect the dishes I paid for the meal and asked her where and when the next competition is."

"Well, there's one over in Rock Lock Cavern, starting in about twenty minutes," she told me. "Aren't you a bit young to be slinging slugs, though?"

"I know, but I'm looking for someone," I replied. She nodded and walked away. I left and started toward Rock Lock, but on foot it would take over an hour.

"Can you guys give me a lift to Rock Lock?" I asked the two Hoverbugs I brought with me. Elina's was named 'Winx', and the one I had was named 'Turbo'. They nodded so I launched 'Winx', who velocimorphed and picked me up, taking me about halfway before tiring out and returning to protoform.

"Thank you, Winx," I told her, placing her in a slug tube to rest. She nodded and sat against the wall of her slug tube. I ran for about five minutes before launching Turbo to carry me the remaining distance. He returned to protoform about five meters or so from the cavern the competition is located in, so I thanked Turbo and let him rest as I jogged over to the stands where people watch the competition.

"Keep your eyes out for Eli and the Gang," I told the slugs as the competition.

"Welcome everyone!" an announcer said when it was time to start. "Today's competition will start in five minutes. Don't move, though, because Eli Shane will be here to compete today!"

"Did he just say 'Eli Shane'?" Alpha asked me. I nodded and we looked around for Eli and the Gang.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Over there!" Blaze chirped, pointing to where Eli had walked onto the field. Another guy walked out with an arsenal completely of ghouls, but Eli easily beat him when the announcer blew the whistle.

"ELI!" I screamed along with the rest of the fans. Eli turned and waved to the crowd, but almost froze when he saw me. I waved and mouthed the words 'Talk to me later' to him. He nodded and walked to his seat. As the competition progressed Eli continued to win more and more, eventually winning the entire competition.

"Make sure to find him afterwards!" Alpha reminded me as he accepted the award money.

"I know," I replied. When he walked out of the arena I ran over to him as he turned toward me.

"Hey, there," he said, crouching down to my level. "What are you doing here?" he asked me. "Where's the girl you were with earlier."

"That was Elina," I replied. "She the reason I came to you."

He frowned and his tone became serious. "What happened to her?" he asked me.

"Blakk kidnapped her," I told him. "Elina had me hide while she drove them away, but something must have happened because he took her away to his fortress. Please, help me rescue her," I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

He nodded and held out his arms. I walked into them and hugged him.

"Come on, let me take you to the Hideout so that we can talk about this more," he told me. I nodded and he led me to his Wolf Mecha, Lucky.

"Hold on," he told me when he helped me climb onto Lucky's back. I nodded so he hit the throttle and we took off.

"WOO-HOO!" I screamed as we went. Elina had never gone this fast on Luna.

About ten minutes later we arrived at the Hideout, a large house built into a tree. There was a cliff leading up to it, which we used to go to a garage.

"Let's go inside so that we can talk with the others," he told me, helping me off Lucky's back.

"Thanks," I replied. He nodded and led me through a door and into the large main room, where Kord, the cave troll, and Pronto, the Molenoid, were playing video games and Trixie, the girl, was making a video of some kind.

"Hey, Eli's back!" Kord said, pausing the game when he saw him. He walked up to him but stopped when he saw me. "Who's this?" he added, crouching down to my level.

"Guys, this is Jacob," he said. "He needs our help. I'll let him explain everything," he added, looking at me.

"Um, my name is Jacob DiCarten," I began. "I was raised by Elina Shae, a girl about as old as you guys. Earlier today, she was kidnapped by Doctor Blakk and his men. I need you guys to save her."

"Do you know where Blakk is, kiddo?" Trixie asked me, walking up to me.

"Only Elina calls me that," I snapped at her. The air around me cooled twenty degrees, but I regained control over my temper, calming down. "She is being held in Blakk's fortress. She left behind a letter in case she was captured, telling me to find you guys and tell you this."

"Good," Eli told me. "Now, we need to come up with a plan of attack."

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "I thought you guys just charged in."

"Yes, but we always have a plan," he told me. "Besides, Blakk has improved his security, so it'll be harder to get past them."

"I can take care of that," I snapped.

"No way," Kord said, picking me up and setting me in a chair that I practically sank into. "We can't have you getting hurt. You're just a kid."

"Yeah, and I'm the one person she trusts over all," I snapped. "If she saw me there, she'd go with us in an instant." It didn't feel good to go against her wishes, but I wanted to be there when they rescue her. My slugs knew I was lying, but they also wanted to be there.

Eli sighed. "Sure, but you won't be going with us into the actual fortress."

I nodded. I didn't want to push them too far since they were the ones actually saving Elina.

After that they went to work formulating a plan. It took them over a day, and I was right on the urge of storming out of there to rescue Elina myself when Eli told me he had a plan. It was risky, but it was a plan.

"We'll leave early morning tomorrow," Eli told me. "Kord and Trixie will draw their attention by firing at the wall on the northern end. Pronto and I will tunnel under the wall on the opposite side of the fortress. Once we get in we'll go to the prison cells and search for Elina. Once we find her we'll get her out."

"Sounds good," I replied. He nodded and we ate dinner. When I finished eating I retreated to the room they let me stay in, next to Eli's.

"They finally came up with a plan to rescue Ellie!" I told the slugs hanging out in there. They cheered and made room as I flopped on the bed. They immediately moved around me, some hopping on my chest. Some jumped out of my bandoliers and Blaze and Alpha stayed next to my shoulders.

"We're coming for you, Ellie," I said to no one in particular.

The next day we got up really early to leave on our mission to save Elina.

* * *

**A Note From The Author: Hey, guys! Here's the latest chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update, I've had a bit of writer's block as well as I couldn't remember which folder I store the files for this fanfic in. Sorry.**


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